Recommendation:
Discontinue Gathering To Live Stream
April 2, 2020

Colleagues,

With increasing concern about aerosol spread of the COVID-19 virus and news such as this and this , and reports that the government will recommend wearing masks in public , we strongly recommend that you discontinue gathering a group of worship leaders together to record/live stream your worship service. We make this recommendation with consideration of the health of pastors, musicians, and leaders, and our concern that we model the “stay at home” physical distancing that is required to flatten the curve of the pandemic.

It is suggested that you have at most one person at church and involve others (readers, music, etc.) from remote locations or.by video. ( An example from Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale ) Using a feature such as Zoom’s virtual background you can use a photo of your chancel as a backdrop so people can see the church.

Another possibility is to have worship leaders record their contributions to the service and edit them into a video that you can post. ( An example from Upper Dublin Lutheran Church )

We discussed this issue on our communications Zoom meeting today. You can watch the replay here.

Blessings to you as you minister to the spiritual needs of your communities, and as we continue to learn together how to be church in the time of COVID-19.

The Rev. Bob Fisher
Assistant to the Bishop for Communications

Please share with your worship team.

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